LOKI Season 2 Director Explains Why Sylvie Is Working At McDonald's And Not A Fictional Alternative

LOKI Season 2 Director Explains Why Sylvie Is Working At McDonald's And Not A Fictional Alternative

In a new interview, Loki season 2 director Dan Deleeuw explains the decision to have Sylvie work at McDonald's instead of a fictional alternative...

News
By MarkCassidy - Oct 14, 2023 10:10 AM EST
Filed Under: Loki

The second episode of Loki season 2 is now streaming on Disney+, and after her return was teased in the premiere, "Breaking Brad" saw the God of Mischief reunite with his female counterpart.

After a bit of persuasion, Hunter B-5, aka Brad Wolfe, reveals that Sylvie had made a life for herself on one of the branching timelines, and is working at a McDonald's in 1987 Broxton, Oklahoma.

Movies/TV shows will often use fictional alternatives to real companies (for obvious reasons), so why did Marvel Studios decide to go with one of the most recognizable eateries in the world?

"We started saying, OK, she’s gonna settle down on a timeline, what restaurant do we use?," director Dan Deleeuw explains to Variety. "At that point, there was a pitch for RoxBurger — you know, the evil corporation in the Marvel Universe, Roxxon. But it didn’t tell a story other than it was like this faux-restaurant."

"And so McDonald’s came up as a suggestion," he continues. "And McDonald’s is timeless, in a way — it crosses countries and borders. Everyone started talking about this nostalgic moment they had with McDonald’s. So quickly getting the audience cued into what Sylvie’s feeling — being on the run so long and seeing normal people, and just wanting to have that and leave everything else behind — we’re using McDonald’s to set the audience in a place where they can pick up on that pretty quickly. That’s what kind of sealed the deal on using McDonald’s.

Of course, there is another reason: McDonald's paid them a boat load of money!

Product placement and promotion is nothing new, but Loki has received some backlash for just how blatantly it "bowed to its sponsor" (to paraphrase Wayne's World) in the latest episode.

In a separate interview with Total Film, Deleeuw addresses the device Sylvie is seen holding towards the end of the episode, which has been confirmed as He Who Remains' time-twisting bangle.

"She's still a Loki. If she's got the keys to the universe, the keys to the multiverse, she's not gonna give that up. I think she truly was happy on the timeline; I don't know how much manipulation has been going on behind the scenes, but... yeah."

Have you been enjoying Loki season 2 so far? Drop us a comment down below.

Loki season 2 "promises new excitement as it thrusts the infamous God of Mischief into a new set of adventures with the TVA."

The series stars Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Eugene Cordero, Rafael Casal, Tara Strong, Kate Dickie, Liz Carr, Neil Ellice, with Jonathan Majors, Ke Huy Quan and Owen Wilson.

Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Dan Deleeuw and Kasra Farahani will direct all six episodes.

The head writer is Eric Martin. Kevin Feige, Stephen Broussard, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Kevin R. Wright, Tom Hiddleston, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead, Eric Martin and Michael Waldron are the executive producers, with Trevor Waterson serving as co-executive producer.

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harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 10/14/2023, 10:32 AM
because McDonald made a deal.
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 10/14/2023, 10:56 AM
@harryba11zack - "We didn't want to have ad breaks, so instead we wrote the ads into the shows".

Can't wait for the She-hulk season 2 episode where she defends l'Oreal in court or something
santoanderson
santoanderson - 10/14/2023, 10:57 AM
@harryba11zack - ToyStoryMrPotatoHeadMoneyMoneyMoney.gif
marvel72
marvel72 - 10/14/2023, 3:01 PM
@santoanderson -
Radders
Radders - 10/16/2023, 8:34 AM
@Usernametaken - She has got great hair though
HashTagSwagg
HashTagSwagg - 10/14/2023, 10:34 AM
Because that Shawarma food place restaurant thing got a boost after the first Avengers film and old Mc D wanted in on that hot stuff, vanilla.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 10/14/2023, 10:41 AM
Um... have you had their fries?
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 10/14/2023, 10:47 AM
If only Mcdonald's looked any close to what they did on the show.

But let's be honest, they look [frick]ing depressing these days.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 10/14/2023, 10:51 AM
@Usernametaken - No one cares that it looks depressing. It's only vital that that it tastes
Usernametaken
Usernametaken - 10/14/2023, 10:56 AM
@MosquitoFarmer - A lot of people care actually.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 10/14/2023, 11:13 AM
@Usernametaken - That comment was not supposed to be there. It was a joke that I decided to stop writing, but I guess I hit Post Reply instead if Cancel. Too late now.
Feralwookiee
Feralwookiee - 10/14/2023, 10:51 AM
"LOKI Season 2 Director Explains Why Sylvie Is Working At McDonald's And Not A Fictional Alternative"



You've gotta love when these corporate cocksuckers attempt to pretend they're not corporate cocksuckers.
Origame
Origame - 10/14/2023, 10:54 AM
"McDonald's is just so timeless and we have so many fond memories"

Spoken by a real human being who isn't being paid in the slightest to say this 🙄
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 10/14/2023, 10:58 AM
"because tie-in" was a little short I guess. but I get it, old-school McDonald's is one of the quintessentials pillars of that classic Americana vibe.
EgoEgor
EgoEgor - 10/14/2023, 11:15 AM
How [frick]ing stupid does this guy think everyone is?
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 10/14/2023, 11:27 AM
I wouldn't call this bowing down to a sponsor. In my eyes, he's just justifying why they're doing so. It actually makes sense to me.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/14/2023, 1:15 PM
@bkmeijer1 -
It can make sense to you that it might be 'nostalgic', you live on Earth (presumably) and may have visited a McDonalds before in your youth.

In terms of the characters, Sylvie grew up on Asgard until losing everything she knows and cares about and proceeding to spend her life eating scraps and hiding in apocalypses to avoid the TVA. She's never been to a McDonalds, it means nothing to her. She has no nostalgic attachment to the environment.

Even under the excuse of 'doing it for the nostalgia' it doesn't work if it's not nostalgic to the character. If it's just nostalgic to the audience and means nothing to the character then it's just baiting the audience with something completely unrelated to the show that they enjoy.

Watching old sitcoms was nostalgic for Wanda due to her backstory. Working at a fricking McDonalds means absolutely nothing to Sylvie.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 10/14/2023, 2:56 PM
@Scarilian - that is a good point, considering it's made to immediately buy into what Sylvie is feeling. I guess it's more relatable, than 1-on-1. It works well enough for me
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/16/2023, 7:59 AM
@bkmeijer1 -
Another commentor pointed it out to me, but Sylvie is not even feeling nostalgic - as nostalgia requires a longing for the past.

She's feeling sad, distraught at her choice and wanting to escape to live a normal life she's never had, actively distancing herself from the past.

So the writers massively misunderstood their own scene.
bkmeijer1
bkmeijer1 - 10/16/2023, 11:20 AM
@Scarilian - that is a good way of looking at it. Guess McDonalds still works in setting the scene of being around normal people though
marvel72
marvel72 - 10/14/2023, 11:38 AM
Drace24
Drace24 - 10/14/2023, 11:45 AM
Yes, it's product placement and McDonald's payed them. But honestly, I don't care. It serves to make the setting more believable and grounded in reality and that serves the story.
FriendoGhus
FriendoGhus - 10/14/2023, 11:47 AM
Money that's why
Kadara
Kadara - 10/14/2023, 11:54 AM
?si=PdmHBYiingd5dWeN
bobevanz
bobevanz - 10/14/2023, 11:55 AM
I hate shameless product placement and this takes the cake...
AnthonyVonGeek
AnthonyVonGeek - 10/14/2023, 12:32 PM
Yeah….
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/14/2023, 1:11 PM
It's a shameless product placement and it's not remotely related to Sylvie who grew up on Asgard and never went to a McDonalds before, as the episode blatantly demonstrates she has no idea what they serve or how it functions.

Nobody's nostalgic moment is WORKING at a McDonalds.
MyCoolYoung
MyCoolYoung - 10/14/2023, 1:21 PM
@Scarilian - my nostalgic moment is 100% my mom working at McDonald's when I was 7-9 and her taking me and 2 of my other siblings to work with her every other Friday and we'd play in the play place and get free food,shakes, and ice cream
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/14/2023, 1:40 PM
@MyCoolYoung -
That nice and the nostalgia works for you because you've had experience with McDonalds tied not only to yourself, but to your family and childhood. It sounds like nice memories to have.

Though that's not you doing the work. If Sylvie's goal is to get some level of nostalgic comfort she should visit some alternate version of Asgard or perhaps somewhere that reminds her of Asgard.

The idea of a nostalgic McDonalds just is not as universal as they claim.
Fogs
Fogs - 10/14/2023, 6:35 PM
@Scarilian - you understand the thing was about her trying an average, blue collar peaceful type of life, different of anything she ever experienced, right?
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/16/2023, 7:58 AM
@Fogs -
They are claiming they picked a McDonalds to instill the audience with a sense of nostalgia to imply that Sylvie has the same feelings, but that's the exact opposite of what Sylvie is trying to do.

Wanting to have something different to anything she has ever experienced, would mean she's not after nostalgia. As nostalgia is formed from a desire/longing to return to the past.

She's not wanting to return to the past, she's actively trying to distance herself from her past. So it's not only the writers misunderstanding, but also miscommunication what she wants - and also doing so through product placement.
Fogs
Fogs - 10/16/2023, 8:59 AM
@Scarilian - Can you provide a quote to back that up? Cause I think you're reading a different article than mine's, which states that "being on the run so long and seeing normal people, and just wanting to have that and leave everything else behind". Doesn't sound like she has a feeling of nostalgia, but a need for peace in a simple life.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/16/2023, 10:30 AM
@Fogs -
The quote is in the top of this article:
"So quickly getting the audience cued into what Sylvie’s feeling — being on the run so long and seeing normal people, and just wanting to have that and leave everything else behind"
Fogs
Fogs - 10/16/2023, 12:39 PM
@Scarilian - ok, so the same quote I posted. And where it says she's supposed to feel nostalgia? Are you reading my comments?
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/17/2023, 5:48 AM
@Fogs -
I am reading what you are saying, but you seem to not be taking the entire quote into context.

They are claiming they picked McDonalds because of those involved with the production reminiscing over "nostalgic moments they had at McDonalds".

They mention these nostalgic moments are "getting the audience cued into what Sylvie’s feeling".

This is stating that the feeling of nostalgia, requiring viewing the past in a rose-colored light, is how Sylvie is meant to be feeling.

They then go on to say that Sylvie is trying to "leave everything else behind".

Leaving everything else behind is the opposite of feeling nostalgic, she's actively trying to ditch the past.

If she's trying to run away from her past, then why would they want the audience to believe that she is feeling nostalgic and wanting to return to the past? It's a misunderstanding of the context of the scene and their statement of how Sylvie is actually feeling.
Fogs
Fogs - 10/17/2023, 1:30 PM
@Scarilian - Ok, let's not drag this on.
You lost me at "they want the audience to believe that she is feeling nostalgic". That's where we differ.

Peace out.
Scarilian
Scarilian - 10/18/2023, 2:06 PM
@Fogs -
If she's not feeling nostalgic, why do they want to make the audience feel nostalgic?

The audience should understand and experience the emotions of the characters. This is getting the audience to feel an emotion that they are claiming Sylvie is not experiencing.
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 10/14/2023, 2:27 PM
Love Mobius, but his dialogue with Brad/X5 trying to act like this McD is the nectar of the Gods was literally eye-rolling...
StSteven
StSteven - 10/14/2023, 2:42 PM
@DrReedRichards - Well to be fair if everything that they have to eat is as bad as that neon green Toxic Avenger key lime pie is, McDonald's food would probably taste pretty f**king amazing by comparison. Plus, that was an 80s McD's, back when everything was cooked in the most unhealthy but oh-so-good shit imaginable, which probably tasted a lot better than what they have today but would likely lead to some form of cancer if consumed on a regular basis. Ah, the good ol' days.
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